The present invention relates generally to ink-jet printing and, more particularly, to a technique for modifying the number of ink containing reservoirs to suit printer requirements.
A typical ink-jet printer includes a printhead mounted to a carriage that is moved back and forth across print media, such as paper for example. As the printhead moves across the print media, a control system activates the printhead to deposit or eject ink droplets onto the print media to form desired images and characters.
Some ink-jet printers utilize ink supplies that are not mounted to the carriage. Such ink supplies, because they are stationary within the printer, are not subject to the size limitations of the carriage-mounted ink supply and as a result, can hold a substantially greater ink volume. Some printers with stationary ink supply systems utilize replaceable ink reservoirs. These reservoirs are not carriage mounted and thus are not moved with the printhead during printing. In some cases, a printhead pen is mounted on the carriage and the pen is fluidly coupled to the ink containing reservoirs that supply ink to the printhead. (Those skilled in the art will realize that while the term "pen" is used, the term is not intended to refer to a device that actually contacts the media, such as paper.)
Some printers utilize an ink supply system comprising a single reservoir while others, used in industrial applications for mail addresses or bar code printing, for example, can have between one and six ink reservoirs. In other cases, reservoirs containing black, cyan, magenta and yellow colorants are found in a single printer. In addition to the complications introduced by the varying numbers of reservoirs, complicating the picture still further is the fact the architecture of one printer may differ substantially from that of another. In this regard, for example, the reservoirs may be stacked vertically in one printer and in side by side relationship in another. Moreover, in some cases, the reservoirs may be stacked both vertically and in side by side relationships.
The prior art solution to the complexities presented by differing numbers of reservoirs from one printer to the next, and differing printer architectures, is to require a reservoir support system tailored to the requirements of a specific printer. Such an approach is wasteful and can require printer manufacturers to maintain an inventory of different reservoir support systems in order to accommodate different printers. In addition, it requires manufacturers of OEM (original equipment manufacture) to maintain an ink supply inventory of varying shapes and sizes, in order to accommodate the variety of differing printer requirements in the modem marketplace.
From the foregoing it will be apparent that there is a need for a technique for a printer ink supply system that is simple to construct and is sufficiently flexible to have utility for a broad spectrum of printers having differing architectures. Desirably, such a technique would give an OEM manufacturer the capability of meeting a variety of different printer ink supply needs without requiring an inventory of differing printer ink supplies.